Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Michigan
I am engaged to a man that has debts. Will those debts, including IRS become my responsibility when we get married?
2 Answers from Attorneys
In a word, no. But the debts could have other consequences, particularly if your finances are joint.
No they will not, but if you have joint bank accounts, they could be garnished. If there are judgments, your property could be seized (for example if you have vehicle on the property) and you'd need to prove it was yours. If you're counting on his household income to help make ends meet, a garnishment/tax levy will make that challenging if not impossible. Smart play for him would be to handle these debts somehow, either by making deals with those creditors or if that's not affordable, to look at filing Chapter 7 or 13. Otherwise, keep your assets/income as separate as possible.